The Grande Tema, an Italian ship, was bound for Tilbury in Essex from Nigeria. A shipping enthusiast said he understood that stowaways had taken over parts of the vessel Shipsinfo.comThe crew of a cargo ship at the mouth of the Thames Estuary have appealed for help from British police after four stowaways broke out of a cabin in which they had been confined and demanded that the captain take them to shore. Paul Kyprianu, a spokesman for the Italian company Grimaldi Lines, which operates the Grande Tema roll-on, roll-off cargo ship, which is at present in the Margate Roads anchorage area, off the coast of Kent, said the captain had been in contact with the British coast guard and police and that the situation on board was under control. Mr Kyprianu said the stowaways were believed to be Nigerians who had climbed on board in Lagos. The Grande Tema was due in Tilbury and…

Source: The Times December 21, 2018 17:13 UTC